gray dogwood
Cornus racemosa
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size10 to 15 feet tall10 to 15 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) is a shrub for hedges, privacy screens, rain gardens, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It forms thickets, so give it room to spread. The fruit stalks stay red into late fall and early winter, and birds eat the white fruit. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal.
Pairs well with Spicebush, Sedge, Joe-pyeweed, and Cinnamon fern.
Native range
Eastern North America.